


Seeking Silver

by LetoaSai



Series: Familiars [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bonding, Familiar Clinics, Familiars, M/M, Sickness, Sora freaks out, Witchcraft, Witches, dangerous clinics, focus fever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24315700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetoaSai/pseuds/LetoaSai
Summary: Sora tried to focus on school and not his lack of familiar, but it was hard when he already knew hints of what could be.
Relationships: Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife, Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Familiars [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696579
Comments: 123
Kudos: 220





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Do not own Kingdom Hearts. 
> 
> Part 3 of Familiars.

Sora sat with Hayner out in the grass, half in the shade from a nearby tree. They were studying, their actual work done for once. The academy tried to appeal to all avenue’s a witch could take. The building itself was extensive. There were classrooms and libraries galore, even some wings that seem to be constantly under construction. Training rooms and laboratories for all kinds of witchcraft were available but often had a waiting list. Outside was the same. Behind the green houses were woods and all manner of trees and plants. There were streams and ponds and paths connecting each one. Each element was accessible, though some were a little more chaperoned than others. 

The dorms were just as elaborate, but the school was focused on turning out the best group of witches every year. There were the witch dorms, the familiar dorms, and the partnered dorms. While they were encouraged to wait before they bonded, many did choose to have the same familiar throughout their school career. Choosing to room with their familiar was supposed to give them domestic experience.

As it was, Sora and Hayner were both still in the witch dorms. 

“I can’t make sense of this one.” Hayner sighed, dropping his magical theory book and pointing to the topic. Shifting magical protective barriers to a portable spell circle. The books always over complicated matters. “The book says to use graphite because silver is too strong but wouldn’t you want a strong barrier and circle?” 

Sora snorted, he’d thought the same thing. “No idea but it sounds a little too flimsy to me.” The books taught the basics, they would alter the spells to suit their needs. Learning to do that could be dangerous. “If you’re going to take the time to make a barrier, make it. Don’t make a cheap spell circle. I don’t care if it’s portable.” Mishaps came from rushing.

“Totally. Not going to help on the exam though.” 

“Right.” Sora said, doing what he always did in these situations. He pulled out a notebook Squall had given him filled with notes and comments and cheats for when the textbooks said something stupid. It didn’t always have the answer but it did often enough to be useful.

“Lets see.” He flipped through the index Squall had made for him before finding the pages on barriers and spell circles. He skimmed until he found the right spot. “Graphite is stupid.” he read. How very like his brother. “But it works in a pinch. It depends on the barrier you’re trying to make. If you are trying to ward off threat or evil, go for silver. The overkill is worth it. If you are merely trying to ward off other spells, use diamonds. They absorb magic best. Uncut if available.” He paused and both hummed their acknowledgement. “If you are just trying to make a portable spell circle and need a good heat conductor to meld your spells and or materials, use iron or copper.” 

Hayner was already scribbling that now, nodding furiously. “See, that’s all i wanted. A reason why silver would or wouldn’t work. Your brother should be a teacher here. He actually knows what he’s talking about.” 

Sora snickered. “He’d never do it, but at least i don’t have to worry about him as much since Cloud came to stay.” 

“Right, the wolf.” Hayner laughed, dropping his pen. He’d loved hearing Sora tell him about that. After over a decade of being a practicing witch, Squall had finally found a familiar he liked. That he connected to. “Are they bonded yet?” 

“Not yet.” Sora said, mildly distracted by a girl walking by with a bunny familiar in her arms. A silver bunny… He shook the thought away. Stop looking... “I think Cloud really went through some shit on the streets and Squall’s giving him all the time in the world to adjust. Just a matter of time.” 

Hayner nodded, flipping his book shut. “Well good for him. Everyone here sure is pushy about shoving familiars at us. The bonding is supposed to be serious. You can’t just decide overnight.” 

“Yeah,” Sora sighed, thinking how terribly unfair it all was. Familiars were treated like a status symbol for so many and he hated it. He could see why his brother boycotted the system in school. 

The relationship was supposed to be beneficial. A witch needed a familiar to soak up their excess magic or it would overflow inside them and effect them poorly. Primarily it caused focus fevers. A witch would be so focused on one task that nothing else would sway them. Not even eating or sleeping.

Eventually they would become so exhausted that they would either pass out, or a mistake would be made in their spell work leading to awful accidents. 

Beyond being a conduit for magic, the familiar also acted as an assistant of sorts. It was an important role. 

Familiars had it far worse. Without the renewal of magic being introduced to their systems they often became ill. It would start with simple fatigue and then deteriorated quickly into geostigma. A terrible illness that caused painful black sores to grow all over their body’s and eventually eat them from the inside out. 

“You’re brother’s a good guy.” Hayner commented after a while. “We could use that around here. Someone else sticking up for familiars.” 

Witches tended to adore their familiars, but not every witch cared about familiars as a whole. Non-magic people were worse. They treated familiars like they were pets. Less them people. Second class citizens. Not people. 

Squall had refused a familiar in school because he was strong, and therefore, needed a strong familiar. Familiars could have gotten hurt trying to absorb his magic and Squall had refused to hurt them. It had been years since he’d graduated and he was still a legend. It had been the start of his fame.

“Yeah. I know. The rumors are going to be nasty when they finally do find out about Cloud. Saying he finally caved and got himself a familiar.” Sora’s smile grew. “Until they actually see Cloud and pee their pants. You should see how fast he can drop into his animal form, it’s nuts.” 

Hayner snickered. “There’s another thing i’d love to see. People gotta figure out that familiar’s aren’t here for our convenience. Did you hear that Lea has two familiars? I heard something went haywire. Dunno what.” 

“Yeah.” Sora snorted. He knew Lea enough to know he was serious about them. Too many teachers had told him that bonding with two familiars was impossible. He’d proved them wrong, but not without consequences. “Dalmatians, aren’t they?” 

“I think so. It’s what i love to see, you know? Breaking the normal chains of society. Two familiars.” It wasn’t just two familiars to work with, but a bond with two. He cared about them both so much that he wouldn’t be separated from them. It should have been impossible but… 

Sora had already met a witch that had bonded with two familiars. He really needed to go visit Naminé again soon. She’d been settling in above Squall’s shop for some time now. Her and her two cobra familiars. 

They’d been friends for a few weeks now and he’d have liked to see her more. When he found out she’d needed a place to stay well, he had options why not share them? Squall hadn’t minded. 

He wasn’t quite sure of her age but he wished she was at the academy too. It would have been nice to have another friend. Half the students thought he was beyond weird and the other half thought he must be a snob because his brother was a famous witch. 

People liked to say he was trying to be his brother by refusing to take a familiar partner. Honestly… it wasn’t like he was the only one taking his time. 

“At least we know he must really love them.” Hayner muttered and it took Sora a few seconds to realize he was still talking about Lea. 

Hayner was an idealist and a romantic. He was waiting for his perfect match, a treasure. Sora thought it was sweet and Hayner idolized Squall for his stance on not harming familiars for his own gain. 

It was a terrible shame that more witches, more people in general, didn’t think as highly of familiars. 

“Squall says it’ll happen when it happens. I guess that was always hard to swallow but look how long he waited and it paid off.” Sora mused. 

“Like a fairy tale.” Hayner muttered, resting his arms on his knees. 

A small smile twitched at Sora’s lips. “I think your fairy tale is starting off a little rough.” 

“What?” Hayner's face slid into a scowl, “Shut up.” 

Sora laughed, “So you’re still being stalked?” 

“Shut up, Sora. He’s an asshole.” Hayner said, swallowing hard. The topic always got him worked up. 

The bond was mutual, or it was supposed to be. Many described it as a magnetic pull towards their partner and after seeing Squall and Cloud, Sora was inclined to believe it. No matter the situation, it was rare for it to be the familiar to pick their witch without rhyme or reason. 

There was a familiar around the campus, a year or two older than them. A bad apple with a knack for getting into fights and pissing off anyone he came across. He was all aggression and bad attitude and he had his sights set on Hayner. 

Something had evidently happened because Hayner was quick to call him a prick and avoid the subject. It was interesting giving Hayner’s overall affection towards familiars. 

“I think you’re protesting a little too much.” Sora snickered. “I’m not saying he’s not an asshole, just that you need to stop hiding from him. If you want him to stop, tell him.” 

Hayner tsked, “Seifer does whatever he wants and doesn’t listen to anyone.” 

Sora smiled faintly. Hayner certainly wasn’t wrong, but he never seemed to catch the way Seifer stared at him. The longing and the irritation like he was aware he constantly put his foot in his mouth. 

“That's true, but so do you.” 

Hayner snorted. “Not as much i wish i did.” He tore at the grass under him in frustration.

Sora kicked at Hayner’s ankle with his foot, trying to think of something that would distract him. “Want to go down to the grove? Can snag a couple things for class tuesday?” Squall had it practically beaten into his head that ingredients needed to be fresh. 

“Yeah.” Hayner nodded. “Okay.” 

They packed their books away for now but they hardly had a chance to stand up before a voice cracked across the quad. “Sora Leonhart!” 

Sora almost winced, turning back to look at one of his teachers. He could tell by her tone that right now she was Professor Trepe and not Quistis, his brother's friend. 

“Yes?” he asked, his tone drenched in suspicions. He hadn’t done anything lately… He smiled at the crow on her shoulder. “Hi Paine.” He got half a noise from her in response. 

Quistis had paper in her hand while she approached and this didn’t look like a conversation he could get out of. 

“What is this about?” she waved it in front of him. “Why is your last witchcraft performance evaluation form half blank?” 

Sora blinked. “Oh, because you gave me the partner form. I don’t have a partner.” 

“You don’t…” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s a formality Sora. You can still fill out the form with the temporary familiars you use.” 

“But then all the questions would be different.” Sora said slowly. “How do i fill it out like that?” 

“You fudge it.” Hayner said. “That’s how i did mine. Just kinda combined all the answers.”

Quistis heaved a heavy sigh. “You know you could both just take a single familiar for the semester.” 

“Nah. The rotation’s fine.” Sora said. There were those who kept the same partner most of their school career and those who swapped around. A witch still needed a familiar, and a familiar still needed a witch. 

Sora didn’t want to commit but that didn’t mean he wanted a familiar to suffer uselessly. Some witches like him cycled through familiars. Always changing and moving to the next one. Some would keep the same familiar for a week, a month, an entire term. 

Sora had trouble doing it. It just didn’t feel right to him. Somewhere was a familiar for him. A familiar that needed him like he needed them. Maybe he was being dramatic, maybe… 

“You don’t need to be your brother, Sora.” She said, her voice almost too soft like she knew she was treading towards a sensitive topic. 

“I’m not trying to be.” 

Quistis nodded once. “But you look up to him. He’s your role model, but you more than anyone know how rough he had it sometimes. Being without a familiar was dangerous for someone as powerful as him.” She paused. “I’m not saying i disagree with his reasoning, but he had it hard for a long time. I don’t want that for you and i’m sure he doesn’t either.” 

Sora shrugged. “I’m not actively looking to burn myself out either but i can’t help it if it doesn't feel right.” 

Quistis sighed again but Sora cut her off before she could keep pressing the topic. 

“I’ll turn it in again. I’ll fill out the whole thing, promise. You don’t have to call Squall either.” Sometimes it sucked when one of your teachers was one of your brother's best friends. 

“Alright Sora.” Quistis agreed. “I’m sure you’re thinking hard enough about this as is.”

“Right.” Sora muttered. It was only something he thought about _all_ the time. It wasn’t like he was anxious about it or anything... 

Hayner elbows him lightly and the two of them took off across the quad, thankfully leaving their teacher behind. He was also nice enough not to drag the same conversation on. 

“So anyway, your brother got copies of that notebook he made you?” Hayner asked, making Sora snort. Partial distraction achieved. 

“No but maybe i could find a duplication spell or something.” Sora said, wondering if there was an example of one laying around. 

Hayner grinned, “You could sell it and make money. We’d learn more from that than the text books.” 

“I do believe that.” Sora laughed. He’d been at the academy a long time and had forgotten as much as he’d learned over the years. When Squall was still a student himself Sora came along too since there was nowhere else for him to go. 

Squall had always been a rule breaker. 

They were halfway to the grove when Hayner got all stiff. His posture shifted to something more uncomfortable and he got quiet. Sora didn’t have to guess why. 

“Your stalker nearby?” 

“Shut up.” 

Feeling a familiar's eyes on you was intimating, and Sora rather thought it meant more than Hayner was willing to admit. Some people clicked, whether they were ready to admit it or not.

“Sora…” Hayner started, sounding frustrated. “I’m sorry, would you mind if i bailed? I think i wanna head back to my room for a little while. Get a nap in.” 

Avoid a lynx. 

“Yeah, it’s fine.” 

Hayne smiled, equal parts relieved and irritated. He was running like prey and he hated it, but he didn’t know how else to respond to a forward familiar. 

“I’ll grab extras for you.” Sora continued. 

“You’re the best.” Hayner grinned, hitching his bag over his shoulder and taking off back down the path that would lead him back to the witch dorms. 

Sora sighed and not for the first time wished he had more friends. It was hard finding people that believed in the same things he did. Frankly the academy didn’t feel as elite as when his brother attended only a few years prior. He learned more from Squall than he ever did in school. He really missed the days when Yen Sid was the head master. 

It was just one more thing that left him feeling unprepared. He had another year at the very least before he could test out and graduate but what then? He didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. He had no focus. No goal. 

Maybe Squall would hire him to work in the shop. He was a Leonhart too and Squall hired all his friends, why not his brother? He didn’t know if that’s what he wanted or not but it would be a start. 

When Sora got to the grove he pulled a few small ziplocks out of his bag while mushroom hunting. He grabbed some anemone and windflowers too, each of them going in their own individual baggie. He pulled up a chunk of moss and even came across a prickly ash tree to steal a few branches. Not for the first time he was glad that students before him continued to plant things so the woods and groves continued to have a huge stock of ingredients. 

Whether they would have grown there in nature or not was irrelevant. He remembered walking the same grove with his brother and watching Squall plant as much as he harvested. It was one more reason he wanted to live up to Squall’s growing legacy. 

Had this not been a spur of the moment trip, Sora would have been replanting too.

His brother had always been a genius. He did anything he wanted to. His friends had all picked paths that made sense for them. 

Rinoa and Aerith were healers. Irvine had recently made detective in the police-witch branch. Yuffie was a treasure and ingredients hunter. They all figured out what they wanted to do in school and Sora was just at a loss. 

Fuck, even Naminé had two jobs now. She helped the police on occasion with her seer abilities and was now giving Selphie a hand in Squall’s shop where she sold the cobra venom she gathered from her familiars. 

Where did that leave him? 

Sora sighed, kicking sticks away as he walked. His counselor said every student felt like this, but it sure didn’t seem that way to him. 

He wandered the grove, finding comfort in nature he didn’t get in the classroom. Hell, even Squall had his chickens to get him out of the house once a day. Sometimes being outside just felt better, closer to the elements, closer to magic. It was better than filling that form out for Quistis again. 

He was starting to think about heading back himself when a smell caught his nose. An awful smell he was getting used to in his own house. Geostigma. A sickly smell that came along with an ill familiar that had been deprived of magic circulating in their veins. 

“Hello?” Sora called. Yes, he was standoffish about forming a partnership with a familiar but there was no way he’d let one suffer either. Watching his brother take care of Cloud had shown him just how bad it could get. 

“Hello…” Sora called looking around. It didn’t help that familiars could come in all shapes and sizes. Tiger or field mouse… It could have been real easy or real hard to pin down a familiar. 

All he could do at the moment was follow his nose, and all that told him was that this stigma wasn’t as bad as Cloud’s had been. 

He searched anyway, looking for something that didn’t belong. It was harder when outside… animals were kind of a staple outside. It was however a spark of shiny color that finally caught his eye. A shock of silver curled up among all the browns and greens that had Sora’s heart rate kicking up. 

Silver. 

He had never asked, but sometimes Naminé made predictions without meaning to. The day they spoke about familiars she looked at him blankly and told him one thing. “They’ll have silver fur.” 

Since then every time he saw a silver colored familiar he got his hopes up just a little bit. He tried not to but… 

Right now, it was a silver colored fox, curled up in a ball, it’s tail looking like it was dipped in ink, black and oozing with geostigma. 

“Oh, poor thing.” Sora muttered, rushing forward and only stopping when the fox lifted his head to growl, it’s teeth bared in a snarl. 

Right, encroaching a familiar’s space was bad. Talk to them. They’re people too even if they sometimes got stuck in their animal head space. 

Sora sat slowly, sliding his bag off his shoulder. “Hey, i won’t touch you if you don’t want me too. Just want to offer a little zap of magic to help you feel better.” 

His fur was matted and dirty, his claws sunk into the dirt underneath him. His eyes were wild with alarm but Sora didn’t need that to know this was a feral. 

Feral familiars had been stuck in their animal forms too long and usually were wild rather than being raised in a witch home. It was a sad fact that most didn’t make it to adulthood. This fox was small, all skin and bones. Though if the amount of skin was anything to go off of, he’d be quite the size once full grown. 

“Hungry?” Sora offered, digging through his backpack and pulling out a mini box of cornflakes. He didn’t wait for a response he wouldn’t get anyway. The fox was just growling and shifting its weight from one side to the other painfully. Maybe there were sores on its feet too. 

Sora tore the cardboard of the box to make a little bowl and dumped the dried flakes into it. It wasn’t the best food, the familiar probably needed meat but it was all Sora had on him. 

“Can you understand me right now?” Sora asked and the growls grew. He couldn’t exactly tell if it was confirmation or just a response to Sora’s speaking but he went for it anyway. “I’m gonna send this towards you, kay?” 

It was lucky he could levitate things, Squall had shown him when he was younger. Light objects were easier by far and the little cardboard bowl floated from his hands to the fox, just within reach. 

He got more hissing and those high noises fox could make but after only a few minutes of Sora sitting there quietly had the fox diving in to eat. Starvation had won out. Sora didn’t say a word for a few minutes, not wanting to interrupt him and make him stop. 

“I’m sorry you’re hurting. Sorry you don’t feel good. I know you don’t know me or anything but i could help a little bit.” He held out his hand but didn’t do more than that. Familiars had to decide for themselves whether or not they trusted a witch.

“I’ve had a lot of practice recently.” He started babbling and watched the way the familiar’s ears twitched, listening. “See my brother recently found a wolf. He was really sick. Like really, really sick but he’s almost all better now.” 

Most witches his age had only ever had much contact with familiar’s at the academy. Ones who got magic every day regardless of whether or not they had a partner. They were often in their human shape for classes though that wasn’t a requirement. A wild familiar in need was beyond most of them. It really should have been a course all on it’s own. 

Not that Sora was an expert… 

The fox leaned forward a little bit and Sora finally got a look at it’s back legs. They looked painful. 

“I’m gonna reach towards you, okay?” Sora said. “Just make a noise if i get too close.” 

He reached closer, moving to his knees and stretched his arm out as far as he could from where he was. He was inches away and left it up to the fox to fill the gap. After a minute the fox pressed his snout to Sora’s fingers and he didn’t waste any time pushing a pulse of magic into him. 

He made sure to be careful, remembering clearly not to use as much magic as if the fox were Cloud. For whatever reason, Cloud could handle a lot more magic that most familiars could.

The fox jerked back, shaking his head but it seemed to be just what he needed to perk him up a little. 

“Feel better?” Sora asked, hand still outstretched. He could give the fox one more tap before they would need a break. 

The fox made another noise, this one less threatening. More inquisitive maybe. With all the strength the fox seemed to have, they lifted themself up and limped painfully towards Sora, sniffing his hands for more food before laying down and resting it’s head against Sora’s leg. 

Outside Sora remained still and calm, letting the fox get comfortable. Inside he was a mess, his heart beat going a mile a minute. 

A silver familiar.


	2. Chapter 2

It took two hours for Sora to be able to scratch behind the familiar’s fox ears. He was beyond careful to not touch his tail that was painful and rancid. He wasn’t disillusioned and knew feral familiars could be dangerous, but anything could be when in such a state of pain and hunger. 

All it took was a little patience and well, not acting stupid. Prey animals couldn’t feel threatened in a situation like this and predators couldn’t feel challenged or everything would go to hell. 

All it took was some effort. Build the trust. Would it work every time? Probably not but someone had to try, right? 

“And she makes homemade bread for us.” Sora had been babbling, just getting the fox used to his voice. “I think she just likes baking, like it’s therapeutic. It’s nice to have something like that. I cook. My brother’s not really one for cooking. He’s alright at it but it encouraged me to get better.” 

The fox had his face resting against Sora’s leg, evidently just listening. It gave Sora plenty of time to observe him. Male for sure, sick and dirty. His pretty silver fur was filthy and a bath really was warrented. The geostigma was bad but not so bad that it couldn’t clear up in a few weeks. 

“Cloud can cook though. That's really nice, you know? Having someone to cook with that doesn't mind it. Squall will do it without complaint but he still sees it as a chore.” Sora just continued to talk, the fox seemed to like the constant soft noise. “Oh, my name is Sora, did i say that already? I should have introduced myself first.” 

After several minutes he stopped talking and focused on petting the familiar. Sitting in the magic grove, the wind blowing, the trees rustling… It was nice. Maybe that was why the fox had come here, trying to siphon off what little magic he could from the area.

“You know, i could help you.” Sora muttered. “There's a clinic near here.” The clinics were for the familiars that didn’t have a partner for whatever reason. It was a resource for them to get their dose of magic or whatever other medical needs they might have. 

The fact that many human hospitals wouldn’t treat them was another factor. Had the academy not had a rule about treating unregistered and unenrolled familiars he’d have taken him there.

The fox bristled, an angry growl rumbling in his chest. Sora got the distinct impression the familiar didn’t like this shift in topic. 

“I know.” Sora said, keeping his voice calm. “I know it’s not ideal. I can give you the doses of magic you need and i can heal little things but your legs look pretty beat up and inflamed.” He didn’t know if it was from the stigma or if he’d gotten into a fight with something bigger. “The clinic is better equipped to help you get well.” 

He got the rough, unhappy, ‘i will bite you’ kind of noise again and Sora turned his attention to his ears. 

“I know.” Sora repeated softly. “But your tail and legs hurt don’t they? We can get them to feel better.”

Sora gave him another small tap of magic and the fox all but went limp in his lap, feasting on the surge of magic. Claw dug into Sora’s leg but he ignored it for now. It was just a gentle warning that the fox was irked. 

He couldn’t help but wonder how Squall had managed to get home a sick wolf that was easily four times the size of this little fox. He’d never really asked. Cloud had seemed so agreeable and pleased to be there by the time Sora had met him. His brother’s bedside manner wasn’t exactly winning any awards even if he was his own kind of caring. 

“What if i stayed with you? In and out. Will get you healed up and then…” What? Let him go? See if the fox wanted to stay with him a little longer? “We’ll figure it out when we get there.” 

The fox looked incredibly reluctant but his tongue lulled out the more Sora hit one good spot behind his ears. 

“That the spot?” Sora smiled, getting a guttural noise in response that was downright happy. “I’ll tell you what, i’ll rub that spot the whole way to the clinic.” 

The fox was sprawled out in his lap, and had no way to respond either but he was sure enjoying the attention. 

Sora carefully scooped him up against his chest and stood, bending only to grab his bag to sling over his shoulder again before he went right back to rubbing his ears and babbling. He made sure to hold the familiar carefully, minding his legs and tail. Sora was by no means an expert but he was sure the fox was way smaller than he was supposed to be. He was obviously skin and bones but he was pretty sure he shouldn’t have been able to cradle him like a baby. 

The size of his teeth told Sora that he wasn’t a baby but other than that, age was hard for him to determine until he changed forms. 

It was a bit of a walk to get off the school grounds and into town but he was used to making the walk when he was bored and looking for something to do. He knew the city well too, all the shortcuts and hidden gems that most people wouldn’t find. 

Most of them were admittedly places to eat. Maybe the fox would like more of a meal… 

They got to the clinic and made good time doing it. Sora spied a group leaving but it seemed to be having a rather sparse moment. Maybe that was good for them. 

Clinics were run mostly on donations and this allowed feral familiars with no income to still come in and get the help they needed. At least that was how it was supposed to work. Sora had never actually been inside one before but if he had to pay something for the fox he would. 

Sora stepped inside and the fox went tense in his arms. It wasn’t a complete mystery as to why. There were so few windows and inside there was harsh fluorescent lightning. Sora’s eyes took a second to adjust and they were already throbbing. He couldn't imagine how a familiar could possibly feel comfortable inside.

Wouldn’t it give them headaches? It didn't seem terribly inviting.

There was a man behind the front desk wearing an easy smile. He was a familiar though Sora couldn’t pin his nature. At the very least he was usually decent at telling the prey familiars from the predators but he wasn’t getting anything from this man. He also didn’t have a bond charm from what Sora could see

“Hello.” he greeted in a soothing tone that put Sora at ease. This place was about care. “How can i help you?” 

Sora pasted on a smile. “Hi, um, this fox needs attention. His legs are inflamed and painful. The geostigma is well, obvious.” 

The man reached out to have a look and hummed in sympathy. “Yes, well we’ll just jot down a few things down. Name?” 

“Oh, um, i don’t know.” Sora smiled a little. 

The blinked, “Oh, is he not yours?” 

Sora shook his head weakly. “No. I gave him a few taps of magic but i’m not a healer, you know?” 

There was that hum of sympathy again. “I see. Feral.” He wrote a few things down and hit a buzzer to let someone in the back know there was a patient. “Well you did a kind thing.” 

“I couldn’t leave him…” 

“Of course not.” He smiled. “Well i’ll take him in the back for any necessary treatment. Thanks for the drop off.” 

“Oh,” Sora could already feel the fox wiggling unhappily. “I thought i’d stay with him.” 

“‘Fraid not, kiddo. Not policy, you understand? If he’s not yours you can’t go with him. Feral’s have their own protocols for their safety and ours.” 

Sora frowned. “Can’t make an exception?” 

“Sorry, it’s a liability.” He said, reaching out for the fox who snapped at him, snarling and nearly frothing at the mouth.

“Hey, hey.” Sora tried to sooth him and cuddled the fox. “It’s okay. They’ll help you here.” 

“That’s right.” The man agreed, glancing over when an imposing witch appeared through the double doors. “Ma’am. A feral has come in.” He stood a little straighter. 

“Oh the poor, poor dear.” She came out and Sora had to assume she was the healer in charge, “And you brought him in, how utterly sweet.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Sora muttered. 

“Oh ma’am is so formal.” she waved him off. “Call me Ursula, dear.”

Sora offered another weak smile as he held onto the feral fox trying to jump out of his arms. 

“Oh the poor baby.” Ursula cooed reaching out in one swift movement to grab the fox by the back of his neck. “There we go. It’s all alright now.” She turned back to the clerk. “Is he all checked in Jetsam?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Good, good.” 

Sora winced, even with it being a perfectly acceptable way to hold a fox something about it just seemed uncomfortable. The noise the fox made...

“Um..” 

Jetsam smiled at Sora, “Please don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him here.” 

“I mean, should i wait?” 

“Oh i’m afraid there wouldn’t be much point.” Ursula said as she wandered back behind the double doors. “It’s normal to keep them overnight.” The fox was squirming and hissing trying to get out of her grasp.

“Oh..” Sora frowned. Maybe it had been too much wishful thinking. Maybe this familiar wasn’t for him. Naminé had said looking into the future could be dangerous. If Sora had actively gone looking for a silver familiar he could have lost him.

It was the whole reason he tried so hard to not look at silver familiars. He couldn’t get his hopes up by trying to claim every one he saw. 

“We really appreciate you helping out a familiar. It helps everyone.” Jetsam said, grabbing a file and moving to straighten up his desk. 

“Right.” Sora said, hesitating before turning back to the door. He’d still done a good thing even if it wasn’t his partner. The poor fox could have died if the geostigma spread. Anything could have happened to him in a weakened state. 

Sora headed out the door assuming he should go back to school but he just felt dreadful. He’d made a deal and promised the fox he’d be there for him. He didn’t like going to the doctor himself, it probably wasn’t any different for familiars. 

And he was alone, and Sora didn’t even know how old he was. What if he was afraid? Sora paused on the sidewalk and glanced back in, Jetsam wasn’t there anymore. It had only been a minute but he must have gone to the back.

He huffed quietly. Squall wouldn’t have let himself get shown the door. Policy or not he promised that fox he’d stay with him so he would. At the very least he’d wait and see him after his treatment. 

Sora slipped back inside and looked around. The waiting room was empty, so no one could have a problem with him waiting. It wasn’t like he was taking up any important space. 

The entire clinic resembled something more to a veterinarian's office to him then a clinic that could occasionally cater to people. It really wasn’t that hard to understand. Familiars were both. Maybe he should have looked up clinics around the city and see if there was a rating system. This couldn’t have been a five star establishment. 

He started to hear muffled noises and frowned. It wasn’t talking, at least he didn’t think so. It might have been the fox, but there could have been other patients too...Sora slid up to the double doors but there was no window to peek through. 

He tried to push it open but it wouldn’t budge. Why would they lock it? He’d just watch them go through it so it couldn’t be automatic. 

He heard the sound again louder and Sora felt cold. The fox was screaming. Not the usual cry and growl a fox could make while fighting or playing but a downright terror stricken scream. It got louder and louder until all Sora could hear was his heartbeat pounding in his ears. 

Sora held a hand up, magic sparking at his fingertips as he turned his wrist in a counterclockwise motion to unlock the door and burst in. He ran down the short hall, bypassing the smaller patient rooms towards the back where treatments and surgeries were done. 

Ursula was there with Jetsam and another man, a large pair of clippers in her hand that looked like they were for gardening and not anything that should be done medically. 

All three were startled, turning to him but Sora could only see his fox, screaming in pain as he was hung from the ceiling by his tail. His stigma covered _tail_. There was blood where he'd been cut at least once. Twice? His muzzled was taped shut. _Taped_. Despite that his noises were loud and desperate and he hadn’t even wanted to come here in the first place. He hadn’t. Sora had talked him into it. 

“Young man, you shouldn’t be back here.” Ursula said calmly, waving the clippers around as if this was normal. Like she did this all the time. 

She was going to cut his tail off. His _tail_. 

“ **What are you doing?** ” Sora yelled. 

“Following procedure.” Jetsam said. “Ferals this sick are euthanized.” 

_Euthanized…_

“What’s wrong with this kid?” the other man muttered. 

Sora stared, his throat clenched tight. How could they do this? “Give him to me.” 

“Now, now, baby.” Ursula cooed, dropping the tool with a clatter. “I can see you’re upset, why don’t we go have a chat about hard truths.” 

They were going to kill him. He was dangling from the ceiling hurt and sick because Sora brought him here. “ **Give him to me!** ” 

He thrust his hands out, his emotions getting the better of him as his magic lashed out. Everyone in the room toppled over and Sora ran in, grabbing the clippers off the stainless steel table and standing directly under the fox so the familiar would drop onto him while he reached up to cut the rope that held him captive. 

“I’m sorry, i’m so sorry.” He cuddled the fox that landed on him with a pained shriek. Sora’s sleeves were almost instantly soaking up his blood. 

“Boy!” Ursula hissed, getting back to her feet. Sora took off back down the hall, the doors slamming shut behind him as he ran right out of the clinic. He had to get the hell out of there. 

The fox made a pained noise but buried his face against Sora’s neck. 

“I’m sorry, i’m sorry.” He couldn’t catch his breath, but he didn’t stop running either. He almost killed this fox. He’d almost killed him…

He was several streets away before he paused for a second and even that was only so he could pull his hoodie off and wrap it around the fox, making a sling of sorts across his chest as he took off again. The fact that it helped hide that his hands were bloody was just a plus he wasn’t coherent enough to truly think about yet. 

It was torture. They’d been torturing him. There were plenty of ways they could have just killed an animal. It was torture and not the least bit humane. Familiars were _not_ just animals. 

They were going to cut off his tail. 

They were going to kill him.

Had he been in his right mind he would have called for help, or at the very least called for a ride but the second his mind had gone off kilter his fever had spiked and he was trapped holding his hurt and sick familiar with only one thought directing him. 

He had to save his fox. 

He was miles from school. Miles away from the clinic now too and all on foot. No matter how fair he got he still felt like he was wasting time but didn’t know how to do anything about it. His fever had him dangerously delirious far too quickly. 

There were many ways a fever could manifest and it was always situational. Sora’s fever was triggered by panic, and that’s where he stayed. 

The fox made a quiet, hurt noise and Sora burst into tears. He knew where he was going, he knew the turns and all he could do was force one foot in front of the other. 

There was a faint siren noise Sora ignored and a car revved beside him, riding up onto the sidewalk to block his path. 

“Oi, what the fuck? Sora?!” Irvine climbed out of the care, “Hey, don’t you make me run after you, c’mere.” He jogged after Sora with a ferret around his neck and grabbed him by the collar. 

“Let go!” 

“Hey, c’mon now. You know i’m not gonna hurt- why the fuck are you covered in blood? Why are you crying?” He tried to look him over but Sora jerked away. 

“Aerith. I have to get to Aerith.” 

Irvine was frowning and grabbed Sora every time he tried to walk away again. “Okay, stop.” Irvine said, his hands like ice touching his face. “Okay.” His volume dropped and turned soft. “Okay you're feverish, i get it. What are you trying to do, are you hurt? Is this blood yours and did you just make a mess in a clinic?” 

A sob broke free and Irvine panicked, “It’s okay. I got this. We’ll fix this. Please stop crying.” 

“They were gonna **kill him**.” Sora cried and Irvine’s ferret, Fuu hopped over to Sora’s shoulder to poke her nose under Sora’s hoodie. After a short distressed noise she came back out with blood smeared across her face and a small strip of tape in her mouth.

Irvine gasped, “Fuu, honey.” he grabbed her, checking that she was okay and was only satisfied when he found that the blood wasn’t hers. He tugged at the fabric to see the hurt fox for himself, the tape across his muzzle now torn. “Okay… Okay.” 

“I have to get to Aerith.” Sora cried, hugging him closer. The familiar was in pain and neither the fox nor Sora seemed to register how he was clawing at Sora’s chest in his distress.

“Alright, let me call your brother and we’ll get you-” 

“ **AERITH!** ” 

Irvine sighed and pulled Sora towards the car, helping him into the passenger seat. “Fuu, you mind changing and texting Squall and Aerith?” He handed his ferret his phone and she grabbed it, jumping into the backseat while he was grabbing spare towels, trying to put a barrier between Sora and sharp little claws but they both just squirmed and tried to push his hands away. 

“No you stay in there.” Irvine said, slamming the door on Sora and heading back to the driver seat. He was already pulling away as he grabbed his radio. “Kinneas here. Suspect apprehended. Not dangerous. Fever hazed and definitely triggered. Seeking consultant.” 

Sora was curled up in the seat, stuck in a cycle of crying and apologizing. Now that some part of him understood that he was getting to his destination he’d lost all energy. Only his arms remained locked around the familiar. 

The familiar continued to cry but he’d settled against Sora’s chest. How much blood had he lost? Could he recover from this? Could he ever forgive Sora for almost killing him? 

“Kid, if you gotta puke, just say the word and i’ll pull over. Do not make that kind of mess in my car.” Irvine said, tempted to put his siren on just to get to Areith’s house faster. He had a feeling however that the sound would just put Sora more on edge. He glanced back at Fuu, kicked back in the backseat. “Any word, darlin’?”

“Squall coming.” She answered, using as few words as possible. She’d never been exactly feral but she’d been close. She hadn’t come to attend the academy until she was much older than most familiars. Speaking abruptly was an adorable quirk in Irvine’s opinion. “Aerith ready.” 

“Good.” Irvine muttered, stepping harder on the gas when Sora started mumbling, speaking quietly around his tears to the ball of fabric in his lap.

It was down right heartbreaking. When the clinic had called in a disturbance he’d expected all kinds of things, but Sora never made the list. Sora causing trouble have never entered his mind. He’d known the boy for over a decade and was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was quietly thanking whatever god was listening that he was the one that found Sora and not someone else. 

It took only ten minutes to get to Aerith’s house and both she and Rinoa were waiting in the porch, Rikku and little Marlene were there too, both holding different first aid kits. Marlene’s was filled with practical supplies like bandages and Rikku’s had all the tonics and magic supplies. 

“Okay, kid. We’re here.” Irvine said, but Sora seemed stuck. He was still in tears, the sound and over all lack of air sounding painful. “Right.” He sighed, getting out and walking around the car to pull Sora out himself. 

“What on earth is going on?” Rinoa asked only after Sora was in his arms. Fuu shut the door, following along beside him. 

Irvine shook his head. “I don’t even know but he’s got a bad fever and he’s holding a familiar that needs help now.” 

“Well yeah, can smell the blood.” Rikku said sniffing the air. “And the terror.” 

“Clinic.” Fuu and the other two familiar’s both flinched. 

Aerith opened the front door and waved him in. “Set him down on the sofa, we have everything ready since you texted.” 

There was a sheet on the couch and nice smelling incenses burning. Sora’s crying almost sounded like moaning but he was no longer coherent. 

“Just set them both down” Rinoa said, bringing in a basin of water. 

Sora was shaking and the fox wasn’t doing any better. Aerith tried to take a peek and the madness started all over again. 

“No!” Sora held the bundle close but more than his tired attempts, the fox cried. He cried and clawed through the fabric to cling to Sora’s chest. 

“Sora.” Aerith said, voice gentle. “Honey, everything is going to be okay.” She placed a cool hand on his face, offering him a mild sedative and Rinoa tried a second time to get to the fox. 

“There’s geostigma too..” Marlene said, still practicing her knowledge as a healers familiar. She was only six after all. “Should i get the soaps that Squall made?” 

“Have them ready sweetheart but it might take a little while before we can use them.” Aerith said, focusing on Sora while Rinoa untangled Sora’s hoodie from the fox. 

There was quite a bit of blood, and the first step went towards making sure the flow had stopped. Whether he’d meant to do that or not, Sora had done just that by clinging so hard to his hoodie like a bandage. It wasn’t perfect but it had helped. 

The fox cried when she tried to lift him again and in lieu of the hoodie being taken away, tried to burrow himself under Sora’s shirt. 

“Oh, my god.” Rikku muttered, voice shaking. “There’s a rope around his tail.” They’d all seen it. They’d all seen the torn tape around his muzzle too. 

In the hallway Irvine was on the phone, likely with Squall. “Oi, keep that.” He called.”We might need it.” 

“Right…” Rinoa said, gesturing for Rikku to take pictures of the poor fox as she carefully tried to undo the knot rather than simply cut it off. They might need the proof should this make it to court.

“Give him back.” Sora cried while Aerith went to heal the gashes on his own chest. “Give him…” 

“It’s okay Sora.” Marlene said, standing by should Aerith need anything. “He’ll be okay.” 

Everyone understood that he was in no state to hear her, but the comforting, familiar voices he knew so well would go a long way in comforting him. 

It took a lot of sedation to get both of them finally calmed enough to be cared for but the poor fox got loud and borderline belligerent the further they tried to take him from Sora. They’d ended up bathing him right there in the living room in the basin of water with Sora rolled onto his side where he could have a hand on the fox beside him. The whole ordeal took hours.

By the time Sora opened his eyes and had any kind of clarity, Squall was looking down at him, kneeling beside the couch and smoothing his hair back. 

“Hey,” Squall said softly. “How you feeling?” 

“I…” Sora swallowed, this throat hurt, his face burned from tears. “Sore.” 

“Yeah, i’ll bet.” Squall said, dropping a small kiss on the crown of his head. “You gave everyone a scare.” 

“I did?” 

A large wolf appeared beside Squall, squirming up next to them to run his tongue across Sora’s cheek. Cloud had come too. 

“Oh yeah.” Squall nodded, looking relieved that he was able to speak properly. “Do you remember what happened? Know where you are?” 

Sora blinked slowly and did have to look around a little. It took him a second for the room to sink in but it was the pretty brick fireplace that reminded him.”Aeriths.” 

“Right. Remember how you got here?” 

Sora sighed, exhaustion creeping in his bones. He wanted to sleep more but his day did feel hazy. He’d been with Hayner, then to the grove, then to- His eyes snapped opened, reaching out to search for the fox he’d nearly killed. 

“Deep breath.” Squall said, taking Sora’s hand and resting it against the fur curled up against his stomach. “He’s right here.” 

Sora felt shaky all over again and carefully scooped the fox up to hold him closer to his face. The familiar was limp and bandaged but seemed to be sleeping, or possibly knocked out. He held him so close that his nose touched fur. 

“He’s right here.” Squall repeated while Cloud went about licking at the fox and Sora’s fingers. “You’re both just fine. Okay?” 

“Okay.” Sora mumbled. 

“Good.” Squall sighed, stressed just to see Sora so feverish. He’d likely take them both home to care for them for a few days before sending him back to school. “Can you tell me what happened?” 

Irvine hovered nearby to take his statement, but Squall would get more answers out of him than anyone else. 

Sora inhaled, still shaking but he nodded. “I...I found him…” It took twice as long as usual, but Sora told his brother everything. From finding the fox in the grove to what he saw in the clinic and running. Running into Irvine had been hazy but he’d assumed correctly that that was how he got to Aerith’s. 

“Holy shit, they were stupid enough to call the cops?” Irvine looked down right annoyed. 

“Sounds like Sora never gave his name.” Squall said, picking up the rope. Aerith had kept the tape too. That was all he needed. They wanted to pick a fight with a Leonhart, he’d give them one. “Shut the clinic down.” 

“For sure.” Irvine agreed. It was not the clinc’s job to euthanize familiars, especially not one that could be so easily cured. It was going to be a PR nightmare. 

Sora didn’t care though, not right now. He was tired and lethargic and warm now that Cloud had climbed up onto the couch to lay against his back. 

He lazily scratched that spot behind the fox’s ear that he loved so much. The fox was okay…


	3. Chapter 3

Sora woke up in his bed with no idea how he'd gotten there. It wasn’t the weekend, at least he didn’t think so, so he should be at school, right?

The weight on his chest answered those questions quickly. Aqua color eyes stared back at him, a silver colored fox. Everything came back to Sora in a tumble of memories.

“Hey you.” Sora muttered, voice hoarse. He reached out to pet him but the fox licked at his fingers instead. He laughed a little, relief flooding him. 

He smelled like lavender from Squall’s stigma soaps and the fur of his legs and tail were damp with some kind of salve rubbed in rather than bandages. 

“Are you feeling better?” 

The fox just tucked his head a little under Sora’s chin. Feeling him stretched out against Sora’s chest put him at ease. He was okay and was never going back to that horrible place again. 

“I’m sorry.” 

The fox lifted his head to meet Sora’s eyes and Sora couldn’t return the look, he couldn’t maintain eye contact at all. He felt his throat tighten and he flung an arm over his face. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair that people could just treat familiars that way. 

“I’m so...so sorry.” He remembered that whole horrible day. He’d been so sure the clinic would help the fox to feel better. Had he not gone back in, they’d have killed him. They’d have sold off his parts and disposed of the rest and it all would have been Sora’s fault. The poor fox had trusted him and everything had gone to hell so quickly

“I didn’t know…” His mouth trembled and he felt horrible all over again. His heart thudding faster and faster. “I swear i didn’t know.” 

Apologies wouldn’t do any good now. 

He could feel the fox shifting on top of him, the weight moving but he still wouldn’t look at him. He was a bit surprised the fox wanted anything to do with him. 

“I’m sorry.” he repeated, and there was nothing he could do about the slight shake he’d acquired. He was so worried even though it was over. He’d never forget that awful woman holding the clippers. He’d never get the sounds of the fox screaming out of his head. 

Sora’s wrists were gently pulled away from his face and pinned down on either side of his head. “Shhh…” A nose was gently nuzzled against his. 

The silver fox had shifted back into his human form and Sora’s gasp lodged painfully in his throat. 

His silver hair was long, stretching down his back messy and unkempt and Sora wanted to drag his fingers through it. His eyes were the same pretty aqua color that seemed to know everything with a glance and he was tall. Even laying and hovering over Sora he was tall… He couldn’t have been more than one or two years older than Sora himself.

“I’m…” 

“Shhh.” He cut Sora off with the soft shushing noise again, rubbing his cheek against Sora’s. Tears kept falling but he felt his heart rate settle to something a little calmer. One of the familiars hands patted Sora’s hair and he towered over him...naked. Right. Familiar. Feral familiar- so he probably had no need for clothes…

He was so young and they were just going to kill him because of a little stigma that was more than treatable. Sora hiccuped again and the familiar released his wrists to cup his face instead and then squeezed his cheeks a little. 

“Shhh.” 

“But i-” 

“Shhhhhhhh.” 

“Sorry….” 

The familiar leaned closer and ran his tongue cross Sora’s bottom lip. “Good witch.” His voice was raspy from non use. It seemed like it was even worse than Cloud’s. He spoke slowly and clearly, possibly making sure he was using the right words. “Stop over thinking.” 

Sora sniffed back his tears and reached up timidly to touch his face. “I really really thought they could help…”

He grunted and growled and leaned into Sora’s touch. “Mhm.” 

“I’m sorry.”

He grunted again and dove closer again to nip at Sora’s bottom lip. 

“If...if i hadn’t gone back…” 

He bit at Sora’s chin with sharp teeth before licking at the mark. Sora felt his face go hot. He’d never experienced affection from a familiar. Not like this. His mother’s familiar had been a second mother, and his school partners had been just that, school partners. 

Only extremely close, usually bonded pairs of witches and familiars were so openly affectionate. The only pair he’d seen up close recently was Squall and Cloud but they weren’t bonded yet. 

“Shh.” He cooed, biting a little harder and it finally occurred to Sora that he was being both soothed and scolded. “Good witch.” 

“I’m not…” 

He bit a little harder and Sora winced. “Good. Witch.” 

Sora sucked in air shakily, “I’m glad you’re okay.” That got him something closer to a happy grumble and he nuzzled his cheek against Sora’s again. That silver hair was like a waterfall around them and Sora did everything possible to keep his eyes up. 

He reached up, still so shy to touch and held a strand of his hair. The familiar reared back and made a sound as close to a purr as a fox could. He grabbed Sora’s hand and rubbed his own hair and face against Sora’s palm. 

Sora swallowed, knowing this was an intimate kind of act. Familiars at school were different. They were socialized and barely grew up any differently from any other human. Feral's however were just that. They were wild, and while they may have understood a great deal, they still let that animal nature guide them. 

Socialized familiars took many forms of contact as something casual. Hand holding for example. Feral familiars...did not. Trust was considered in every touch and the fox blatantly marking himself against Sora’s skin was a big deal. 

“What’s… your name?” Sora asked softly. Familiars were incredibly self sufficient creatures. They named themselves, telling their mothers their name though a link that came by carrying them in the womb. 

Most familiars had maternal instincts too, compelled to look after those familiars younger or smaller than themselves. 

Some feral familiars had even found ways to absorb magic from the earth in small doses to keep them functioning without a witch to feed them. This fox hadn’t seemed to have gotten enough though.

“Riku.” He said carefully, clucking his tongue right after and nodding. “Hm, Riku.” 

“Riku.” Sora repeated quietly, the familiar looking all too pleased. “I’m Sora.” 

“Mhm,” Riku nodded again. He already knew his name but reintroducing himself had just seemed polite. 

“Are you feeling better, Riku?” Sora asked, reaching up with his free hand to wipe his face dry. 

He grunted and rolled back to his heels, Sora tried to look away but Riku cupped his face again and had him looking. He still had some bruising but he looked like he’d taken to the healing rather well. Sora was certain he had Rinoa and Aerith to thank for that. 

“I’m glad.” Sora mumbled, cheeks hot. 

Riku hummed, looking fairly pleased with himself as he leaned forward again, pressing a kiss to Sora’s mouth that had him gasping in surprise. He’d never been kissed before. Well, he and Kairi had kissed when they were ten but that didn’t feel like it counted at all. 

Sora’s shyness however didn’t seem to discourage Riku any. Why a feral familiar knew how to kiss so well, Sora didn’t know. When he made a soft, overwhelmed kind of noise there was a growl by the door way. A deep, annoyed growl. 

Riku pulled away, whipping around to the door where a large, irritated wolf sat and bared his teeth. 

“Hey, hey, wait!” Sora said, hand going to grip Riku’s arm as if expecting the fox would attack. 

For his part, Cloud looked unconcerned. He stood and took a step into the room, changing into his human form so fast that Riku physically winced. 

Cloud was looking better. A home where he was cared for suited him, and Sora had honestly never seen his brother happier. Almost all traces of Cloud’s geostigma had healed, leaving fresh, clean flesh in its wake. Cloud wore only a pair of pants. They fit well but were likely Squall’s given that Cloud had them rolled up a few times around his ankles. He came in and pressed his fingers to Sora’s face, checking for fever before turning to Riku and flicking his forehead. 

“Do better.” 

Riku shrank back, looking contrite and overall unhappy. 

Cloud made a sound in his throat that Riku reacted to again before Cloud looked at Sora “Must eat. Now.” 

“Hey…” Sora frowned, watching Riku’s expression before turning to Cloud with a pout. Cloud got to micro manage Squall’s life, not his. “Don’t be mean to Riku.” 

Cloud snorted and Sora was almost surprised he got an answer, Cloud spoke so rarely. “He wants to be yours. Has to act like it. Care first. Kisses later.” 

Sora felt all the blood in his body shoot to his face. _A silver familiar._ Riku wanted to be his?

“Had a bad fever. Must rest. Eat.” Cloud continued, watching the pair. 

Riku fidgeted and nodded. “Just… just...guilt. Had to...”

“You were distracting me from apologizing.” Sora said softly, having figured that much out for himself already. “But i am sorry.” 

“No!” Riku snarled, grabbing Sora by the front of his shirt with a gentleness that didn’t match his expression. “Good. Witch.” He rubbed their noses together again and Sora felt like crying all over again. Riku wanted to stay with him… 

Cloud sighed and seemed to understand well enough. “Up. Come.” He reached out to pet them both and Riku in particular seemed to be at a loss with the older familiar’s care. He hadn’t evidently had much care before but it was a tad obvious how much he was craving Cloud’s approval.

Riku nodded and moved off of Sora. He’d be embarrassed that Riku had been all but straddling him later. At least Squall hadn’t seen. 

Cloud waited with his arms crossed as Sora got up. His head throbbed a little still but it was nothing an elixir wouldn’t cure. It would probably do his throat good too. It was feeling raw and reminded him of his misadventure more and more, even the hazy parts made more sense than they had before. 

“Cloud, how long have i been asleep?” 

“Day and a half.” 

Sora winced, yeah, that was a bad fever. “Okay. Food’s definitely a good idea then.” Even if he didn’t particularly feel hungry. 

Cloud nodded his agreement but it was Riku that moved alongside Sora to make sure he was steady as he stood.

“Maybe we could find you some clothes?” Sora offered, way more flustered than he ever would have imagined to be standing beside his nude familiar. The very same familiar he’d been silently wishing for ever since Naminé let a few things slip. 

Being affectionate and down right intimate with your familiar partner was normal but now he was feeling altogether unprepared for it. 

Riku tsked and shrugged, willing to do what Sora wanted him to do in those regards. It had never occurred to Sora before this moment how strange it was that Cloud didn’t mind clothes when he’d been feral too. 

“Something loose maybe?” Sora offered. Maybe Squall wouldn’t mind if he borrowed a few things until they could get Riku a couple changes of clothes. 

“Come.” Cloud said, voice so much softer than before as he turned to slowly make his way to the kitchen. 

Riku heaved a small sigh once he’d gone and slid his hand through Sora’s hair before holding the back of his neck. “My witch.” He tried forced the eye contact. 

Sora took twice as long to answer than he’d meant to. He just nodded quickly, eyes dropping to stare at Riku’s chest in embarrassment. He reached out a hand, pushing a small tap of magic into his fox that had him shivering. 

Riku puffed out a short laugh and kissed Sora’s cheek in thanks. “Yes. Good.” He pulled away and wiggled a moment. He took longer to change than Cloud did. Probably a good forty-five seconds before he was back in his fox form. That was certainly one way to avoid clothes. 

His tail was still black with geosigma, but now instead of oozing it was more flaky. It was healing. Riku raised up on his hind legs and Sora couldn’t help but break out into a huge smile as he lifted him into his arms. His fox. 

Sora was still exhausted but he loved the notion of carrying his fox around. He wanted Riku to catch up on all that affection he’d been missing. This was just the start and when he wasn’t so tired, his excitement was going to know new levels.

He was almost to the kitchen when he heard voices. His brothers more specifically. 

“What do you think?” 

It was always strange to hear Squall ask Cloud a question. He usually gave a nonverbal answer and even when Sora was confused, his brother always seemed to know what he meant. Sora gave them only a few short weeks before they bonded officially. They were practically there already. 

“He’ll do.” Cloud said softly and Sora was surprised he’d answered out loud.

“So…” Sora cleared his throat before entering the kitchen, Riku held in his arms. “Who cooked?” 

“We both did.” Squall snorted “I’m not that bad.” 

“No.” Sora agreed, “But Cloud’s better.” 

Squall shrugged and agreed, “He is. Now sit down, troublemaker. How are you feeling?” 

“Tired mostly.” Sora said, taking a seat and resting Riku in his lap. “Fuzzy. I don’t remember coming home at all.” 

“I’m sure you don’t.” Squall said, working around Cloud as they prepared plates to carry to the table. “It’s okay. I’ve spoken to Quistis and you’ve been excused for the next several days. Until i’m sure your fever is going to hold off.” 

Sora nodded and yawned, pleased he didn’t have to think about assignments today. He really was tired. “I’ll be okay.” 

“If you’re keeping the fox, i should think so.” Squall said, setting two plates in front of him. “It’s fine for today but he’s going to need to learn to eat at the table properly at some point.” 

“We’ll work on it.” Sora smiled lazily. “Thanks Squall.” 

Cloud came to the table with their own food and nudged Squall towards a chair with his hip. They ate in relative silence, which was normal for everyone except Sora. He was usually the chatty one but for the moment, he just wanted to eat and pet Riku’s soft fur. After his traumatic experience, no one found it odd.

“Squall.” Sora started. “What’s going to happen? With me and the clinic? I guess i broke a law or something.” 

Squall scoffed as Cloud growled. Even Riku’s ears pulled back at the fury coming off the pair. “No Sora, you’re going to be fine. One day this week, we’re going to go talk to Irvine again. You weren’t very coherent when you gave your first statement so we’ll go and you can explain once more. Your fox can also give a statement.” 

“Formality. Justice.” Cloud muttered. 

Squall just nodded. “As things are. The clinic is shut down pending an investigation. Between the rope, the tape and the blood samples we took, things are already in our favor. You uncovered a black market hot spot for familiar parts, little brother. No way are we letting that get swept under the rug.” 

Cloud growled, the angriest Sora had ever seen him but he just held Squall’s hand. 

“I’ll do whatever i can to help.” Sora said, shifting Riku enough to hug him against his chest. His fox was happy to drape against him. “Anything.” 

“I know.” Squall said, rubbing the top of Cloud’s hand. “It’s for later though. Tonight we focus on getting you feeling better. Food and more sleep. Maybe a decent shower.” 

“Yep.” Sora said, already yawning. It sounded good to him. That woman never touching a familiar again sounded even better. 

~

Sora sighed, exhausted. He’d spent four hours with the police recounting his experience with the feral familiar, now _his_ familiar. Squall and Irvine were there the entire time but other witch detectives were present to make sure Irvine wasn’t showing a touch too much favoritism. It was lucky none of them had a problem with Sora cuddling Riku the entire time to calm him. He was clearly not a fan of crowded places and there were so many people coming in and out. 

With Squall’s permission Sora even consented to a magical recreation of events. That involved witches using complex spells to touch his memories. Sora would have preferred Squall be the one to do it but they couldn’t risk the results being compromised and at Squall’s insistence, one of the most famous witches in the countries-probably the world- was contacted to perform the necessary spells. Yen Sid. 

No one needed to know that Yen Sid was practically his grandpa. Sora had spent an awful lot of time with Yen Sid while Squall was still in school and Yen Sid was still the Head Master of the academy. 

As things were, Sora’s account of the events did not change with the magical recreation. Using the rope that had been tied around Riku’s tail as the catalyst gave Sora almost too many emotions to draw from. 

A warrant for Ursula’s arrest had been issued, and the Clinic temporarily shut down until other management could be hired. The fact that Squall had shown up himself had startled a lot of people. He never quite realized how well known he actually was and when Squall Leonhart was angry, people hid. 

Yen Sid's disapproval of the poorly run clinics wasn't ignored either. 

Sora was relieved and if other clinics got looked at a little closer, good. Familiars deserved to have that safe environment. He wasn’t sure if he’d never be able to trust a clinic again. Not unless he was the one running it… 

That was a thought for another day. 

While Squall stayed behind with Irvine to wrap things up, Sora needed a desperate breath of fresh air. With a wave to his brother he left, already deciding where he would go. 

In only twenty minutes he was walking into Squall’s shop and he felt a instant, calming sense of home. Riku had curled up in his hoodie. His back half was supported by his hood while his head rested on Sora’s shoulder. 

Riku was so small in fox form for his age, but he’d likely grow now that he was able to eat well daily.

“Sora, honey!” Selphie honed in on him the second he walked through the door and zoomed closer to greet him. Riku lifted his head to hiss but calmed when Sora reached up to pet him. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay. Rinoa told me. Oh you did just a brave thing.” Selphie gushed and didn’t grab him into a bone crushing hug the way she usually would have. The fact that she could respect Riku’s wariness was very much appreciated. 

“Thanks.” Sora smiled weakly. “I’m just glad it’s over.” 

Well, his part was over, hopefully. The news would get a hold of it. There would be questions at school. Yen Sid leaving his home to do anything was newsworthy. 

“Poor thing. Squall stopping by later to get you?” 

Sora nodded. “Yep.” He still had a few more excused days left. Head Master Kramer had even given him a few more to let the media simmer down some before he went back. “Is Naminé here?” 

“Yep, she actually just went back upstairs about a half an hour ago, i’m sure she’d like to see you too. She was also worried.” Selphie smiled a little, acting like they were teens with a crush even though it wasn’t like that. 

“Thanks.” She squeezed her hand before leaving the main part of the shop. It wasn’t until they were in the back where it was reasonably more quiet that Sora realized Riku had been making unhappy grumbles. 

The shop was crowded and he should have know better. Riku wasn't used to being around people. That was a mental note he’d have to stay aware of. Keeping Riku comfortable was going to be his responsibility. 

Upstairs, above the shop was where Naminé was living now with her two cobra familiars. 

Ventus and Vanitas. Sora tried not to talk about it much but the three of them had been basically homeless. When Sora seen the hole in the wall they called home, he’d panicked internally and gotten permission from his brother to let them live above the shop. 

Naminé helped Selphie around the shop and it all together just felt safer for them here. 

Sora went past the employees only door and started announcing himself as he came up the stairs since there wasn’t exactly a door after that point. “Hello? Naminé?” He called. The upstairs had been one large open area before Squall had bought screens to put up to divide the room somewhat. 

“Sora!” Naminé moved so quickly she almost skidded to a stop in front of him, stopping just shy of actually touching him before backing up a step. Her eyes went straight to his shoulder, relief obvious as she took in Riku, already recognizing him even as he looked back at her.

There was a moment where Sora had to wonder how many times Naminé had looked over his shoulder, expecting to see the fox there. 

“Hey,” His smile was warm. “I found him.” His very own silver familiar. 

Two heads poked out from Naminé clothes, both Ventus and Vanitas wanting to see for themselves. Sora had no idea if she told them more than she’d told him. It was hard for seers given all the things they could know. 

“Oh, thank goodness...” She sighed out all of her tension, on the edge of tears as she fidgeted with her hands fisted in her clothes “I...I’m so sorry. I, I knew something bad happened, but I didn't know how bad; and, and you picked that place at random and then l-left, and, and I didn't know you would...spur of the moment decisions are...” 

Sora laughed, the sound a little more nervous than he’d intended. “That’s okay. Better this way. You couldn’t have told me even if you did know and there was no sense in you dreading what was to come.” 

Naminé couldn’t reveal _too_ much about what she saw, or she risked changing what would happen. 

"But..." She started to mumble. 

"No. It's okay. It worked out." Sora said, trying to reassure her. 

Vanitas stretched out a little further in greeting and Sora patted his head gently. “Have you guys been expecting us?” 

“Sort-of.” Naminé smiled weakly, watching Vanitas’ tongue flicked out in Riku’s direction. To Riku’s credit, he just stared, trying to puzzle out such large snakes. "More hoping...wasn't sure if it would be today or not."

Ventus took a turn coming closer. He greeted Sora but went as far as to greet Riku by quickly bumping against his snoot. Sora reached out to pet Riku almost immediately after to put him at ease. He couldn’t be socialized over night, but baby steps were good. He hadn't growled at the cobra's yet. “Well, this is Riku. Riku, these are my friends.” 

Her bright eyes told Sora she'd probably already known his name, but hadn't said it to be polite. It was terribly rude to impose on a familiar's name.

“I went out a little while ago to get lunch.” Namine said, nodding for them to come sit at a little table nearby. She still didn’t know what to do with so much space. Sora half imagined her staying in one corner with her familiars when Sora wasn’t visiting. 

He couldn’t wait to see how excited then got when the large heat lamp Squall ordered for them came in. 

“Awesome.” Sora grinned, wandering over with her. He sat and moved Riku to sit in his lap. There was no better place to practice to learn to be around people than with Naminé and her cobra’s. They were calm and seemed to understand better than others that Riku needed the peace. 

School might be another matter but as long as Riku was draped across him in some way, he seemed to be doing better. Naminé seemed to pick up on what he was thinking "Hoodies are nice..." Riku was still small enough to mostly fit curled up in a hood. That could make taking him to school so much easier.

If Cloud had taught Sora anything, it was that any familiar could recover with a little attention and affection.


End file.
